1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate to consumer electronic devices such as digital still image cameras, digital video cameras, cellular phones and DVD players, and more particularly to consumer electronic devices having image projection capabilities.
2. Related Technology
Today's consumers enjoy a wide variety of electronic devices that allow the user to record or reproduce images. Digital still cameras allow the user to take photographs that are digitized and stored as data in a computer readable medium. Cellular telephones have begun to incorporate digital camera features as well. Digital video cameras are also becoming more prevalent and provide similar recording and storage features for video images. Both digital still cameras and digital video cameras typically have the capability of interfacing with a video monitor such as a television or computer to display stored images.
Video reproduction devices such as DVD players are also commonplace. These devices are typically used in conjunction with a separate television or other video monitor to display the video images stored on the DVD.
Consumer electronic devices such as the aforementioned devices all require a way of displaying images that are recorded by or rendered by the devices. Currently such displays are provided by display screens that are integral with the device, or by display devices such as televisions that must be connected to the device. This imposes limitations on the usefulness of these devices. In devices that have built in displays, such as cameras, the displays are typically very small and cannot display images that are easily viewable by several people at the same time. In devices such as DVD players that require connection to a separate display, the use of the device is typically restricted to an area near the display to which the device is connected.